Back at the station, Mireya was having a hard time getting Riley out.The officers were acting like they didn’t even know who she was. They kept whispering among themselves, saying the person who had brought Riley in was someone high-profile—and that letting her go just like that would cause a problem far bigger than they could handle.Mireya had heard the whispers.But she didn’t understand.Who could possibly be more important than the Belmont family?She stepped aside, irritation clear on her face.One of the lower-ranked officers noticed her and walked over, greeting her with a small, cautious smile. He had just come out from inside, where he had already received instructions from his superiors.The Belmont family had made donations to the station before.So now, he was stuck in the middle.He couldn’t ignore her… but he also couldn’t act freely.“I’ve been here for more than two hours,” Mireya said, her voice controlled but tight.The officer shifted slightly, clearly uncomfortab

"Oh, well, you put the most important info at the end. If this were a case and we were cops and I was your boss, you'd be getting your ass roasted for this." "Babe…" Abigail muttered. "I know." Her friend said with an assuring look. "I'm so sorry. This is supposed to be your day. Your birthday and I'm doing all this." "Hey, Abigail, don't ever do that. It doesn't make anything better. And you know I'm all in for anything as long as you keep calling me babe." Abigail smiled faintly. It felt a little easier, not having to carry everything on her own. "Let's go find this Lombard." "Wait — tonight? It's already ten pm." "Makes it the best time to get him." Her friend made a face that suggested she'd watched one too many villain movies. "Maybe we'll catch him in his sleep. Then he's got nothing to deny. Imagine opening your eyes and finding us standing in his room. That, Abigail, is how you get a man to talk." "Are you going to pull info on him or should I call my men to track him

Of all the things the Belmont family could easily do, locating a person was not one of them. But Mireya's power had a very particular ability — as long as she had seen someone at least once, as long as she'd been close enough to register even the faintest trace of who they were, her power would do the rest. She didn't even need to have seen their face clearly. A presence. A scent. That was enough for her to find anyone, anywhere.Which was exactly how she ended up standing in front of Lombard's hotel that evening.Getting past the receptionist had been effortless. All she'd had to do was walk in and mention she had something important to attend to. Only a fool working the front desk at a place like this would see someone from the Belmont family and think to question them. Perhaps at a more upscale hotel the story would've been different. But here? No. This place was far too ordinary for anyone to challenge the goddess who'd just walked through its front door.Mireya did find herself

Abigail let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding. That could have gone in a terrible direction. Because somewhere in the back of her mind — embarrassingly, even now — she had harboured a small crush on Lombard. If they were siblings? Bad movie. She did not want to watch that."So when I left, he kept sending me money — because he was such a kind-hearted man," Lombard continued. Pure fiction, of course. Abigail's father was perhaps the last person on earth anyone would describe as kindhearted. "But I was rebellious. I'd squander every coin he sent and come back for more. He finally cut me off at twenty-five. I hadn't seen him again — until recently. That day at your house."He wrapped the lie cleanly.Abigail and Alice fell for it. Hook, line, and sinker. They were looking at him like he'd just delivered the most moving personal testimony they had ever heard.Abigail glanced at Alice. A silent note passed between them. If Lombard had once been someone her father took care of,

"Cassian, you're the only one I can call right now." He lowered his voice, glancing around. He had no real option but to work with some version of the truth here. Cassian had called him earlier, and it was precisely because he'd mentioned knowing LD. That was the hook. "Some people have got me right now. And it's probably because someone tipped them off that I was in contact with LD today."The receptionist's eyes went slightly wide.This man knew LD? She glanced over at the Cataract men on the other side of the lobby. But wait — rumour had it that LD was their boss. So how did that… that didn't add up at all. None of her business, she told herself. But she had a strong feeling this man was about to make a very serious mistake."So they have you in custody?" Cassian asked."I'm at a hotel. They think I'm hiding Lombard somewhere.""Lombard? What has that idiot got to do with the Cataract being on your back? Has Lombard completely lost his mind?" Cassian's voice climbed with irritation